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Synonyms

fill the bill

Idioms  

  1. Serve a particular purpose well, as in I was afraid there wasn't enough chicken for everyone, but this casserole will fill the bill, or Karen's testimony just fills the bill, so we're sure to get a conviction. This expression alludes to adding less-known performers to a program (or bill) in order to make a long enough entertainment. [First half of 1800s]

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Sometimes he sells animals that don’t fill the bill of the cows he wants to create.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 9, 2021

If there is such a thing as an It Girl in venture capital these days, Ms. Jin, 31, would fill the bill.

From New York Times • Sep. 1, 2021

But owing to the fact that we are working almost out of doors, with the elements apparently conspiring against us, it is impossible to fill the bill as we anticipated.

From Slate • Jun. 2, 2019

Woolam wondered if a handmade version, lovingly created by crafters, would fill the bill — and fit the bra.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 22, 2017

The only unisex singular pronoun we have is it, which doesn’t always fill the bill.

From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.